Parents must not enable teen drinkers

Inter Lake editorial

It's alarming that four cases of alcohol poisoning among young Flathead teens were reported last week.

A couple of the youths who almost died from drinking too much were only 13. This, of course, evokes the obvious question: Where are the parents when this excessive partying is going on?

It's clear the Flathead Valley is contributing to the fact that Montana ranks No. 1 in the nation for binge drinking among 12- to 17-year-olds. That statistic should strike fear in the heart of every parent of a teenager.

The Stop Underage Drinking in the Flathead Coalition says it's making some progress in dealing with underage drinking. Compliance checks at businesses that serve or sell alcohol have improved. More than 175 bartenders, servers and retail clerks have received training to recognize and deal with underage drinkers.

Coalition members have also noticed an upswing in the number of citizen tips called in to law-enforcement agencies about parties involving underage drinkers. And an increase in the numbers of youths going through the classes required for minor-in-possession charges means authorities are catching and citing more drunk teens.

But law-enforcement officers have noticed a disturbing increase in the quantity of alcohol and related paraphernalia they're finding when parties are busted these days. Like so many other facets of American life, excess seems to have become the norm. Why drink a couple of beers when you can supersize your consumption with a beer-drinking funnel?

So society needs to send a message loud and clear.

We applaud the efforts of the coalition, but recognize that its members can only do so much in curbing teen drinking. Ultimately, it is the parents' responsibility to know where their kids are and what they're doing.

Local prevention specialist Barney Stucker, who teaches classes for youths caught drinking, puts it this way: "Whenever you have a minor drinking, an adult screwed up somewhere."

Harsh, but true.

Too many parents seem content to shut an eye to the problem or contribute to underage drinking by supplying booze for at-home parties with the idea they're creating a safe and responsible environment. Kids will be kids, right?

The bottom line is that there is no environment that's right or safe for underage drinking. It's against the law.

Parents who let their children drink need to know that young people who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence and are 2 1/2 times more likely to become abusers of alcohol than those who begin drinking at age 21.

It's naive to think we can abolish underage drinking altogether. But if education and increased vigilance can save even one life, it's an effort well worth pursuing.